So, will we have an interim PM?

 

The writer Ambrose Bierce sarcastically defined politics in The Devil’s Dictionary thus: “A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.”

I don’t think any Malaysian would disagree with this definition, especially not after witnessing the heady happenings of the past year and the culmination of months of political shenanigans in Parliament this past week.

It is very clear that personal and party interests are masquerading as national interest or principles.

Many members of the public have expressed disgust, with some asking whether Parliament can go any lower.

We saw, for instance, how the government, to avoid a vote that could show it did not have majority support in Parliament, informed MPs that the emergency ordinances had been earlier revoked by the Cabinet and, therefore, there was no need for it to be debated and voted upon.

The announcement came as a surprise to the MPs and to the public.

We saw how the speaker of the Parliament, who is supposed to be impartial, behaved. We saw how Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was criticised by MPs and citizens on social media for leaving without answering questions.

We saw how Takiyuddin Hassan, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of law, handled himself in the august House.

Heck, we even saw the Covid-19 virus – the SARS-CoV-2 – make a cameo appearance in Parliament, causing the House to be shut down for well past an hour and for the sitting to resume only to be adjourned. The virus proved pivotal to the plot of the drama.

We have been told that the government did not follow the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s advice or decree to debate the revocation of the emergency ordinances in Parliament as required by the Federal Constitution.

We saw how the opposition jumped upon the opportunity provided by the royal rebuke of the government to call for Muhyiddin’s resignation.

We saw MPs, although not all, shouting at the speaker and at each other.

What we did not see was MPs debating in detail and offering concrete suggestions about how to address the suffering of the public. Although some touched on the pain of the people, most were more interested in playing politics.

The government had a golden opportunity to lay down its plans and engage in a constructive debate with the MPs so that better ways of tackling both the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis could be designed. But no, it was too concerned about staying in power and playing its version of the game of thrones.

Even before the sitting of Parliament from last Monday, most Malaysians had come to the conclusion that the government had failed in shouldering its responsibility. If the government didn’t know this, then yesterday’s “kerajaan gagal” protest by about 1,000 young people around Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur should have made this perfectly clear.

Since last year, the nation has been struggling with a health crisis and an economic crisis. Now, due to the manner in which the government handled the revocation of the emergency ordinances, we have a constitutional crisis as well.

We don’t need this. We don’t need this at all.

Now, people are asking if Muhyiddin will resign. There is mounting pressure on him to quit, with politicians in and associated with the government, and their supporters, working overtime to manoeuvre into key positions.

Almost all political analysts feel Muhyiddin’s position is increasingly becoming untenable, especially now that he has antagonised the King and the Malay Rulers.

In the event that he does quit, the Agong is likely to appoint the MP who can show he has the most support in Parliament as the next prime minister, as holding an election amid the pandemic is out of the question.

If that is the case, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim may have an opportunity to prove that he has enough support to take over the reins of government.

Although some people hate Anwar, there are many others who feel he should be given a chance to prove his mettle, especially since he has immense experience both in and out of government. He was once finance minister and could come up with better ways of resolving the plight of the people and handling the economic crisis.

But that would mean all the ministers and supporters of the Perikatan Nasional-led government losing their positions and perks. Most of them would have to kiss goodbye to their political career.

So, it is unlikely that they’d allow someone outside their influence to take over. It would have to be someone who will be friendly towards all or most of them and who will stand up for them if the need arises.

There is speculation that Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who was promoted to deputy prime minister on July 7, is the leading candidate to take over from Muhyiddin if the latter decides to step down.

Although Umno has decided not to support Muhyiddin, Ismail is seen as a steadfast backer of the prime minister. If he does take over, Umno would have regained the coveted post of prime minister, but with internal ramifications.

If Ismail rises to the top position, it would likely mean we will get almost the same government minus Muhyiddin. Some may welcome this but others will not trust such a government for the simple reason that Ismail is part of this administration. In fact, he had been tasked with handling the pandemic and was the face of the administration’s Covid-19 response until his promotion to deputy prime minister.

The question that will be asked is this: What fresh approach can he bring that he hasn’t already tried? But you never know – he may prove his critics wrong.

There is, however, increasing backing for an interim prime minister who is not aligned with either the opposition or the PN-led government. Many Malaysians are beginning to feel this is the best way to steer the nation out of the current mess.

Some have suggested that former international trade and industry minister Rafidah Aziz be given the post of interim prime minister but she says she is not interested. However, even if she is willing there’s an obstacle: She’s not an MP. Also, I doubt if she’ll get the backing of MPs.

Some others are rooting for Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the MP for Gua Musang and veteran politician as interim prime minister. Certainly, there will be no clash with the Malay Rulers if Razaleigh the Kelantan prince becomes prime minister.

As a journalist, I’ve had occasion to speak to Razaleigh when he was finance minister. He demonstrated clarity of thinking and an ability to explain matters plainly. I got the impression that he was a man of integrity. But sometimes I couldn’t help feeling his sense of royalty; even a little aloofness.

Joining politics in 1962, he was one of the young Turks that second prime minister Razak Hussein entrusted to help chart the nation’s economic progress, especially the upliftment of the Malays. The first chairman of Petronas served as minister under Hussein Onn and Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

TIME magazine, in its July 8, 1974 issue, named Razaleigh and Musa Hitam among its list of 150 men and women under 45 who would become future leaders of the world. Perhaps his time has come.

But, to be effective in facing the health, economic and constitutional crises, whoever becomes interim prime minister needs to:

• have a clean image and be free of political baggage;
• be acceptable to, and respected by, both sides of the political divide;
• be acceptable to the Malay Rulers;
• be trusted by the majority of Malaysians;
• be able to manage egos and get leaders of all political parties involved;
• understand the economy and manage the expectations of investors and businesses operating in the country; and
• have no interest in contesting in the next general election or staying on as prime minister after the next election.

The interim prime minister must:

• prioritise health measures, including ensuring the vaccination process goes full speed ahead so that herd immunity can be achieved as soon as possible;
• form a very small Cabinet that is focused on beating the Covid-19 pandemic and reviving the economy;
• take care of the immediate welfare of the people and reduce their suffering; and
• set a definite date on which to hold the next general election.

Importantly, the interim prime minister must put the interest of the people at the centre of all his decisions and actions. He or she must forget their relatives, forget the party of which they are a member and remember only the nation.

In other words, the interim prime minister must conduct public affairs in such a manner that there is no private advantage. Otherwise, we may just end up with a devil. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.